Beginner’s Guide to Guild Wars
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Table of Contents
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I. Introduction
II. Version History
III. The Basics of Guild Wars
IV. Gear & Items
V. Choosing the Class That is Best For You
VI. Miscellaneous Information
VII. Terminology
VIII. Emote List
IX. Guild Creation & Conscription
X. FAQ
XI. Contact Information
XII. Credits
XIII. Copyright Information
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I. Introduction
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Hello! Chances are you are reading this because you have just gotten into
Guild Wars and want to know the basics of it before you dive right into it. If
that is the case then welcome to the wonderful world of Guild Wars! If you are
a seasoned veteran, then remember to bear with all the Newbies you will see in-
game. You were one at one point as well! When I first started this guide, I
did it out of a love for Guild Wars and the community. To the casual player
this may sound a little weird, but having followed Guild Wars since July 2004
and having played every single beta yet, I felt like it was time to start
giving something back to the community. On that note, I hope you enjoy my FAQ
and find it useful.
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II. Version History
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Version 0.5- Finished up the majority of the guide
Version 1.0- Finished the original guide for GWU
Version 2.0- Added several new parts to the guide and fixed it up for posting
at Gamefaqs
Version 2.3- Redid some parts due to changes in retail, added an FAQ section as
well as a few new explanations on the guide itself. So stop e-mailing me about
the Dye Traders :)
Version 2.6- Added more to FAQ section, added a Terminology section, explained
Bork! Bork! Bork!
Version 2.8- Added emote list, added to FAQ section, added Guild Creation
section. Also added a section or two here and there and revised spelling.
Version 3.0- A few minor tweaks and content additions here and there, guide is
probably done unless a new feature is added in the future to GW.
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III. The Basics of Guild Wars
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Before you can run head-first into Guild Wars, there are some basic subjects
that you need to understand first.
+Attributes- To open your attribute table, press H (Assigned by default). Here
you will notice a listing of the available attributes. These attributes will
vary based on what character class you chose for a primary. For example, a
Ranger will have listed Wilderness Survival, Expertise, Marksmanship, and Beast
Mastery. It will also tell you how many points are needed to raise the skill
to the next level. Each attributes max is level 12 unless you obtain skill
runes to raise it further. Each class also has an attribute that is available
to only the Primary class. To gain attribute points to raise these skills you
must gain experience points. You will also notice something that says
“Attribute Refund”. For every 250 XP you earn, you gain one Refund Point.
Refund Point’s allow you to subtract a point from an attribute that you have
put Attribute Points into.
+Experience Points- Experience Points (Or XP for short) are gained through
killing monsters and the completion of quests. The higher the level of the
monster is, the bigger the XP reward is for killing it. You will notice a bar
in this screen as well as a bar on the interface itself that says your level
and has a bar below it. As you gain XP this bar will slowly fill up. You can
check the bar in your Attribute Table to see exactly how much more XP you have
to go before you level up. Currently the maximum level you can obtain is level
20.
+Skill Points-Skill Points are another essential part of Guild Wars. Through
gaining levels you also gain Skill Points. You can also obtain them by
completing some quests and missions and by gaining “Ranks” from having Fame
(This will be further explained later). Every time you purchase a skill from a
“Skill Trainer” one point is deducted from your total. Even after you achieve
level 20 you can still get more skill points by filling up your XP bar.
Granted, you will not get extra attribute points for this but you will get one
skill point for it.
+Skills-Skills are a defining part of your character. Some skills enhance your
attack; Judge’s Insight gives your attacks a 20% armor penetration. Other
skills like the Elementalist's Flare attack deals fire damage to a target.
Every time you obtain a new skill, the skill is "Unlocked" for your account.
Meaning that any PvP character you make will have immediate access to this
skill. Most skills cost a portion of your mana to cast, but some use
adrenaline instead. Let’s take a look at a skill called “Smite”.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y55/xSentience3/smite.jpg
The 10 with the blue circle next to it represents the mana consumed by casting
Smite. The 1 with the clock next to it represents the cast time for the spell,
for this one it takes 1 second to cast it. Lastly, the 10 with the curled
arrow represents the recharge time for the spell, for Smite it takes 10 seconds
before the spell is usable again. Adrenaline skills are a bit different
however. Adrenaline is how a Warrior charges up many of their skills for use.
Each time they hit someone they gain a hit of adrenaline in their adrenaline
charger. When this charger reaches the amount necessary to use an Adrenaline
Skill, the skill is then usable. Skills are obtained by purchasing them from
Skill Trainers, obtaining them by completing a quest, and by using Signets of
Capture on bosses. There are also skills that are called “Elite” because they
are extremely potent skills. You may carry only one Elite skill into any given
battle.
+Skill Trainers-Skill trainers are the people who will teach you some of your
skills. The majority of your skills, however, will come from Quests you obtain
from NPC’s. For one skill point and some GP (GP amount based on the number of
skills you have purchased) you may purchase a skill from the Trainer. Many of
the Official Guild Wars fan sites have lists of where the Skill Trainers are
and what skills each one offers.
+Basic Combat-To begin combat, you must first go to either an explorable area,
a mission, or a PvP area. Before you can stand a chance at winning, you must
first have a weapon equipped. To begin attacking, simply click on the desired
target and your character will run to them to attack. If you are using a
ranged weapon, then your character will get within the minimum distance
required to attack and will then do so. Use skills to inflict greater damage
on your enemy and to heal yourself if it becomes necessary. Many of these
require mana, so keep an eye on your mana bar as you attack. If you find
yourself losing the battle, then you can attempt to run away. Most enemies
will chase you for quite a long distance before disengaging. Your HP will
slowly regenerate so long as you do not get hit but so will your targets, your
mana will regenerate regardless of your total HP. Some skills will hinder your
ability to regenerate mana for a short time such as Panic and Ether Lord should
they be casted on you. If your party dies in a mission then it is game over,
if you die in an explorable area then you will be taken to the nearest
Resurrection Shrine and resurrected with a “Death Penalty”. For each time you
die, you will suffer a temporary loss of -15% health and mana. You can slowly
work this penalty off by killing monsters or gaining morale boosts which will
give you a +2% or by leaving the area entirely and warping back to a town or
outpost. Gaining morale boosts when you do not have a DP to work off will give
you a bonus to your life and mana up to +10%. If you get down to a -60% DP
then you will not auto revive and must be revived directly by a teammate. Note
that this applies to PvP only.
+Fame & Ranks-This is related strictly to PvP. By winning matches in the “Tomb
of the Primeval Kings” you gain points of Fame. After getting a certain number
of Fame points your Rank will increase by one and you will be given a skill
point and an emote that you can use to show off your accomplishment.
+Missions & Quests-Missions are the meat of the game; they are what advances
the main story and introduces you to new areas and towns. Missions only occur
in areas that have missions, such as The Wilds or Fort Ranik. Before heading
out on a mission you should gather yourself a party. This party should have AT
LEAST one primary healer, a tank, a caster (Preferably an Elementalist nuker),
and then whatever you want for the rest of the slots. Quests work much
differently then missions do. To get a quest, simply look for a NPC with an
exclamation mark over their head. Talk to them and they will explain their
dilemma to you and should you choose to, you can accept the quest that they
want you to go on. Keep track of this quest by going to your quest log (L) and
select it as your active quest. An arrow will appear on the compass that will
tell you what direction you need to go in to complete the quest and will also
appear on the main map (M).
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IV. Gear & Items
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+Inventory- To fight you need weapons of course. To equip one press I that will
get you to the inventory. There you can see your backpack space, your character
view and your equipped items. You can drag equip-able items to/from the
backpack space, and later on, you will be able to buy bags and a belt pouch
witch will grant you more inventory space, and they’ll work like the backpack.
There are also runes for purchase later on that will double the space of a bag
when used on it. You also have 4 quick item setups configurable. By default the
first is selected, but you can change with F1-F4 keys by default, and you can
set all of them up. You can also use them to configure two weapon sets (like
sword and shield for warriors) or 4 two handed weapons (like bows).
+Item selling / trading / modifying NPC’s-There are some NPC’s in the Guild
Wars world who you can talk with in order to get some items you will need in
your adventures.
* Collector
- You can find collectors throughout the World. They will offer you a
selection of items if you bring them what they ask for. You will know an item
is for a collector if it is not a weapon and does not mention craft material in
the description
* Crafter
- The crafter is one of the most visited NPC’s of Guild Wars. They can
craft you important items if you get the needed raw materials and their payment
for them. This way you can get hold of new armor and rare raw materials. You
can mostly sell items to a crafter, or perhaps you can customize your weapon.
Customizing a weapon will add +20% damage for it which is very significant, but
it also makes the weapon only equipable by you, thus making you unable to sell
it to anyone at a decent price.
* Dye Trader
- Trader’s currently are in Ascalon City, Lion’s Arch, Denravi, The
Amnoon Oasis, and Droknar’s Forge.
*Outfitter
- He is also a very important NPC. He sells you starter weapons, dye
removers, salvage and identify kits (read about them later), Rune’s of Holding,
and Bags. You can mostly sell your loot to him too.
* Weapon smith
- These guys have only one function: to customize your weapons.
+Salvage Kits- With salvage kits, you can get raw materials from an item. Raw
materials you get depend on what the item was made of. For example you can get
steel from swords, or wood from bows. There are two types of Salvage Kits. ,
the normal and the expert ones. With expert salvage kits, you can get rare
crafting materials and runes out of salvaged items. Salvaging is a good idea if
you get salvage items (You can only salvage and sell them) or if you want to
get rid of an older customized item of yours, as the trader usually doesn’t
give you much of anything.
+Identify Kits- With these you can identify unique and rare items and runes.
That way you unlock the item in your PvP character generator, so you will be
able to use with any PvP character you create. You will also get more money for
it if you sell it to an NPC (not recommended).
+Dyes- with dyes you can color your Armour. This is purely graphical and is
only for fun and individuality. You can also mix dyes to get new colors from
them.
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V. Choosing the Class that is Best for You
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Primary Classes
In Guild Wars there are 6 character classes, the Warrior, Elementalist, Monk,
Ranger, Mesmer, and Necromancer. Before you choose a class to start with you
should first consider what you would like to do in battle. For example,
Warrior’s are your usual tank; they absorb the damage of the enemy and keep
them at bay and away from the weaker characters such as an Elementalist. While
the Warrior can certainly kill targets effectively he is not the best person,
in most cases, to use to dispatch numerous targets at once. This is a job best
left to a “nuker” class such as the Elementalist with their area-of-effect
magic. Most people who choose monk class choose it so that they can heal their
allies in battle or cast protection spells on them to reduce damage dealt to
them. Ranger’s can deal good damage with their bow attacks as well as use
Natural Rituals to affect the players in its range. Necromancers can raise
summons to attack foes as well as hamper their target’s effectiveness with
Curses or cause some damage-over-time with Curses and Blood Magic’s. The
Mesmer class is a more advanced class. Mesmer’s are an anti-caster class and
DoT class. Spells like Backfire, Migraine, and Panic make casting spells more
difficult for the affected foe. Conjure Phantasm and Phantom Pain cause DoT to
the affected foe. Mesmer’s are extremely fun to play, because it is extremely
satisfying to totally shutdown a Monk and then just mow right through him.
It’s a matter of just choosing what class you like and what you want your role
to be on the battlefield. You can also choose a Secondary class to go with
your Primary Class. So to sum it all up...
*Warriors- If you enjoy in-your-face-combat then this is the class for you.
*Monk- If you want to be a dedicated Healer, and then you must be willing to
devote totally to this. You must focus directly on healing and NOTHING else.
You get to watch Red Bars and make sure those Red Bars do not fall down.
Protection Monks are a much trickier class to play, requiring you to lay down
protection spells on your allies in order to null damage against them. Smiting
Monks are damage dealers, they kill enemies with smites like Signet of Judgment
and Smite.
*Ranger- If you have ever played a druid like class and liked it, this is the
class you want to play. Rangers use bows and bow skills and can use Rituals to
change factors of combat as well as bring a pet into battle
*Necromancer- Necromancers use can raise minions to use in combat as well as
use Curses to reduce the enemy targets effectiveness and deal some damage.
Blood spells will keep wearing down your target and keep you healed.
*Mesmer- This is a tricky class to play but is very rewarding. You are a
straight up Damage-Over-Time (DoT) dealer as well as a Anti-Caster.
*Elementalist- Play this class if you like magic and like to do a ton of damage
to the enemy.
Secondary Classes
Your secondary class you may choose once you get started in Ascalon. After
completing your first skill quest you will be given the option to take a
secondary class. While you do not have to take a secondary class, it is
greatly encouraged that you do so as you lose nothing when you choose one.
Your secondary class will not be as powerful as it could be if you had chosen
it as a primary. Each class has one attribute that no other class has access
to. For example, if you had chosen Ranger as your primary class and then the
Monk as your secondary class, you would not have access to the Monk’s attribute
Divine Favor but instead access to the Ranger’s primary only attribute,
Expertise. Try to choose a class that you think will compliment your primary
well. If you are a Ranger and you choose Warrior for your secondary, but you
have no intentions of doing any melee combat then perhaps you should choose
again, you can do so as long as you do not accept the class. You can visit all
the various teachers in Ascalon and test out each class to discover what you
like best for your primary. There are, of course, some mixes that work better
then others USUALLY. Some of these are…
Warrior/Monk-Extremely versatile, has the ability to be long lasting in PvE
with skills like Mending.
Monk/Elementalist-With this combo you are able to take advantage of the Glyphs
from the Elementalist half and use them to reduce the mana consumption of some
of the higher energy cost spells like Heal Party or Divine Healing.
Mesmer/Necromancer-Both classes have many Hex spells that you can take
advantage of. A good combo is to first go into a battle and cast Soul Barbs on
a target, and then hit him with your hex spells.
Ranger/Elementalist-This combo can be very deadly if done right. You can do a
Conjure Flame, Frost, or Lightning/Kindle Arrows or Ignite Arrows/Dual Shot
combo. You need to make sure that you have the right element bow string,
however; otherwise the Conjure will be useless. You can also choose to be
Warder, this essentially is a Ranger who uses his Marksmanship skills but also
loads up with Wards from the Elementalist half. Wards are invaluable to the
survival of the party later in the game and in PvP.
Ranger/Mesmer-This is a combo usually coupled with condition causing skills.
Fragility is a great opening move on a target, as it will damage them every
time they suffer and recover from a Condition. Combine this with a 0 attribute
Incendiary Arrow attack and you have a deadly combo. The fire will only last a
second and you can just keep firing into them. You can also take advantage of
the DoT skills and stack them with bleeding or poison to achieve a massive DoT
effect.
One combo that I have never really made much use of is the Warrior/Ranger. If
you choose to use the bow instead of your Weapon Skills then you are already
out 3 Attributes. The Warrior already doesn’t have much energy, so if you use
a bow then you will be forking out 10 energy or so per arrow attack because
there is no Expertise to lower the cost. If you decide not to use the
Marksmanship attacks, then you are wasting one Attribute entirely. The pets
aren’t especially worth it; neither are the Wilderness Survival skills. Sure
the dodges are useful, but they really do not justify the W/R combo. Not only
this, but you can barely self heal. Troll Unguent takes 3 seconds to activate,
unlike Healing Breeze which is done instantly.
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VI. Miscellaneous Information
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+Forming a Party-When you are forming a party to head out on a mission or
quest, you should form a balanced party. You want to have a balanced party to
ensure that you survive the mission to completion. In Old Ascalon it isn’t
really anything you need to consider since you form parties of 2 people and the
monsters are pretty easy. Later on though, you should put some thought into
the process. Ideally a four person party consists of a tank, a nuker, and at
least one healer. The fourth slot you may do with as you please. A six person
team should be constructed similarly but you may want to have 2 healers as
opposed to just one and an extra tank with you. An 8 person team is ideally 2
Healing Monks, a Protection Monk, 1-2 Tanks, A Nuker, an Anti-Caster, and
whatever else you want. Making an unbalanced party is a recipe for disaster in
most cases.
+Talk to People!-Before you head out of town, take a moment to talk to the
NPC’s. Some of them offer tidbits of information on the storyline; others will
offer you a quest to play through. Either way, it never hurts to talk to
people and you can only gain from doing so.
+Target Calling/Following the Target-Sometimes when you are playing you may
notice a message pop up from another player that says, “I’m attacking X target!
Press T to attack my target!” This is referred to as a Target Call. To target
call, hold control and double click the target of your choice. People Target
Call in order to focus attacks on one central target and thus kill them
extremely quickly, usually they designate a person to carry out this job; they
are most often referred to as a “Target Caller”. In PvE, it is always a good
idea to first target the monk type healer, whether it is a Charr Shaman or a
White Mantle Abbot, a mob without a healer is as good as dead. Following the
Target Call greatly increases your chance of survival by quickly eliminating
key targets.
+Faction Points- Faction is gained from kills/victories in PvP/GvG. With
faction you are able to unlock upgrades/skills/runes for use in PvP only
characters. You do NOT get these items directly; you only unlock them for the
account itself. Different amounts are gained based on the PvP areas you fight
in.
Arena Victory: 10 in Team/Competition Arenas, 5 in Shiverpeak Arena, 2
in Ascalon Arena
Arena Bonus for 5 Consecutive Victories: 10 in Team/Competition Arenas,
5 in Shiverpeak Arena, 2 in Ascalon Arena
Arena Bonus for Flawless Victory: 2 in Team/Competition Arenas, 1 in
Shiverpeak Arena, 0 in Ascalon Arena
Tournament/Tombs Victory: 20 in the first map, 40 in early missions, 60
in later missions, 80 in the Hall of Heroes
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VII. Terminology
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The following list is a list of much of the Guild Wars slang that you will find
in-game, abbreviations, words, etc.
Aggro-The range at which an enemy monster will move to attack you. If you look
at the map located in the top right corner of the interface, you will see a dot
in the middle and a circular field that emanates from it. Any enemy that comes
within that range will attack you.
Captain Suicide-One of the many nick-names of Prince Rurik.
Lyssa- The dominating goddess of the Mesmer class.
Balthazar-The dominating god of the Warrior class.
Melandru-The dominating goddess of the Ranger class.
Grenth-The dominating god of the Necromancer class.
Dwayna-The dominating goddess of the Monk class.
UW-Abbreviation of the Underworld, a World at War area.
FoW-Abbreviation of the Fissure of Woe, a World at War area.
Bork! Bork! Bork!-Swedish Chef talk, for more information press F11 and go
into languages. Look for Bork! Bork! Bork!
Old Ascalon-A reference to Ascalon before The Searing occurred.
New Ascalon-A reference to Ascalon after The Searing
Whammo-Just another way of saying Warrior/Monk
AL -Armor Level.
ToA-Temple of Ages, the location of the Fissure of Woe and the Underworld.
WaW-World at War. During your adventure you will see a message that says X
person has taken the Hall of Heroes. So long as your realm holds the hall
(America, Europe, Korea) then the ToA areas will be open for you to adventure
into.
AOE - Area of Effect or Area Effect.
EA-Short for Explorable Area.
WTB-Want to buy
WTS-Want to sell
WTT-Want to trade
DS-Dragon Sword
PUG-Pick up group, usually used in reference to PvP areas. PUG’s are
essentially just random people thrown together that plunge into tombs, not
guilds.
HoH- Hall of Heroes, the final stage in the Primeval Tombs.
Farming-This is the process of doing something repetitively in hopes that a
rare item or armor will drop that may hold a potential value at market.
Body Blocking - Blocking someone by walking in front of them, thus slowing
their path.
Beta - The portion of development after the alpha portion of the game.
CC - Crowd control.
DOT - Damage over time.
DPS - Damage per second.
Nerf – An action taken by the developers, usually a nerf is applied to a skill
or an area due to high loot drops. Most people do not like these.
Think of another popular acronym that should be added? E-mail me. :)
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VIII. Emote List
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The following is a list of the various emotes in Guild Wars.
/age *
/agree
/attention
/beckon
/beg
/boo
/bored
/bow
/bowhead
/cheer
/catchbreath
/clap
/congrats
/cough
/dance
/deaths **
/doh
/doubletake
/drums
/excited
/fame ***
/fistshake
/flex
/flute
/friend <player>
/goteam
/guitar
/help
/highfive
/ignore <player>
/jump
/kneel
/laugh
/moan
/no
/petname (name)
/pickme
/point
/ponder
/pout
/ready
/roar
/rock, paper, scissors ****
/roll <#> *****
/salute
/scratch
/shoo
/sigh
/sit
/sorry
/stand
/taunt
/violin
/wave
/yawn
/yes
*This will tell you how many hours and days you have played on this character.
**This will tell you how many times you have died.
***Available to players with Rank 3+ only.
****You must specify which you want to do here. For example, if you want to do
rock, then just type /rock.
*****No longer works in Towns/Outposts.
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IX. Guild Creation & Conscription
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Guild’s themselves are a major part of Guild Wars. Those who are not in one
miss out on one of the greatest parts of the game, Guild versus Guild.
Currently to form a guild you must see a person known as the “Guild Register.”
There are Guild Registers in Old Ascalon City, New Ascalon City, and Lion’s
Arch. The City Registers will only register your guild name and cape, to
acquire a guild hall you must venture to Lion’s Arch. A name costs 100 GP
currently and a cape costs 2 platinum; a hall requires a Celestial Sigil that
you win by holding the Hall of Heroes or by purchasing one. When you go to
create your guild, you will be taken to a screen to first type your desired
guild name, and then you will be able to create a guild cape. Try to pick
something that compliments your guild’s name. To join a guild, a leader or an
officer only has to invite you to join it. You then must go to the guild
screen (G by default) and accept the invite to join the guild. However there
is much more to guilds then this. A successful guild needs competent leaders
and officers.
First off, shouting for members in every district of every last mission and
town is not generally a smooth move. For one, people will tire of the constant
spam. The main thing here is that you have no idea what kind of people you are
bringing in. True this method may be a quick fix to get some members, but it
is not the ultimate solution. If you can’t tolerate the person, then chances
are your guild members won’t be able to as well. People who type in all caps
tend to be somewhat intolerable, just think of it if it was in real life.
Would you like someone YELLING AT YOU TO GET INTO YOUR CLUB LIKE THIS? Didn’t
think so.
The best way is to get to know someone before you issue an invite, know your
members on personal basis if you want them to stay. You need members more then
members need you. Getting to know each member forms a close connection to the
guild they have joined, and they feel more apart of it. You will also be more
assured as to the quality of the people you have. If you cannot trust your
members then something is seriously wrong. Officers should be people that you
know you can trust, people you know that if you ask them to do something they
will happily do it. Giving someone the position of Officer is like giving your
car keys to someone, you wouldn’t trust just anyone with your car and you must
be able to trust them enough to know that they won’t go wrecking it(IE, destroy
your guild). I have heard of many guilds that had their rating totally RUINED
because the leader made someone an officer who they really shouldn’t have, more
specifically, SOMEONE WHO JUST JOINED THE GUILD! This certain guild ended up
receiving 10 GvG losses, and in the end the evil doer kicked everyone out of
the guild and then left. This particular individual did this 3 times, and
actually scammed over 100k GP from guilds, promising to take the GP they had
and along with his buy them a Sigil. DO NOT FALL FOR THIS!
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X. FAQ
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What follows is a collection of questions that people have e-mailed to me and
that I have seen asked constantly in-game.
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General Game Related Questions
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Q: Is any class combination not really useful? I'm a XX/XX, but do decent
guilds only accept certain groups/classes?
A: This really varies depending on what guild you are trying to get in to. It
depends on what the guild is looking for as to whether or not they let you in.
For example, let’s say that Bob’s Friendly Guild has just been created.
Obviously Bob need’s members to fill his guild with, so he will probably accept
anyone and everyone into it. Usually the hardcore PvP guilds are the most
stringent on this kind of thing, since they desire to have power and glory they
want only the best people they can find.
Q: I can’t seem to find any new skills in Old Ascalon, where can I obtain new
skills?
A: In Old Ascalon there aren’t a whole lot of skills you can obtain. 99% of
all your skills will be found outside of Old Ascalon. I am planning on adding
a section to the guide about the locations of each trainer, but at this time I
do not have the time to compile a list of them and where they are.
Q: What is the best class in the game?
A: The best class in the game is… Well actually there is none! Your success in
the game is based on how you play. There is no X character template that
guarantee’s that you will be the greatest there is, any character can be
countered with the right skill set.
Q: Where can I craft better armor?
A: This really depends on where you are. Armor Crafters are scattered all over
the world. Some are in smaller outpost areas like Beetletun and the Bergen Hot
Springs; others reside within towns like Lion’s Arch and Droknar’s Forge. The
best armor is available in Droknar’s Forge, unless you want the 15k armor. The
only difference here is that the 15k gear looks better, graphics wise, then its
non 15k counterpart.
Q: What is “Ascension”?
A: Ascension is a process that occurs in the Crystal Desert. The actual
Ascension process is a series of missions, 3 to be exact, that are really
nothing more then Tombs practice. Each mission has some sort of resemblance to
a map in the Tombs. Upon completion of this process you must fight your
“mirror” self, your mirror uses all the skills you bring with you into battle.
Q: What is “Ascension Armor”, and where can I get some of it?
A: “Ascension Armor” as it has been dubbed by players everywhere, is armor that
is obtained much later in the game. Upon completing ascension in the Crystal
Desert, you are taken to the Southern Shiverpeaks. Here you may purchase the
best armor in the game; it has the best defensive possibility of all armors.
However if you have more money then you know what to do with you can also find
much more expensive versions of these armors. The expensive armors, AKA
“Ascension Armors” cost 15 platinum for ONE piece of armor, and cost a ton of
craft materials. Some use the super rare materials like Bolts of Damsk and
Deldrimoor Steel. The only difference of the 15k edition and the regular kind
is a cosmetic difference to the armor itself. The two armors are available in
The Granite Citadel and Marhan’s Grotto. You can also obtain armors deep in
the Underworld and Fissure of Woe, though I have never happened upon a good
enough group to reach either.
Q: I am interested in trying to be a Healer Monk, but I am not sure if I will
make a good Monk, are there any certain things I should know before trying it?
A: A good Healer Monk does just that, he heals, and he focuses himself on it.
You cannot heal AND attack, the two just consume too much energy and you will
find yourself inadequate in both. As a Healing Monk, your job is to watch
little red bars all battle long. Here are a few tips to keep yourself alive
and those red bars red, not black.
*Stay as far back from the combat zone as possible, concentrate on keeping up
the healing.
*Do not wield a wand unless you have an extremely good one or if you go for a
staff, instead get yourself a Sword or Axe and put a HP pommel/grip into it.
Why? Well first off you get a nice HP bonus, plus your 10 damage you deal from
the wand will have little impact in the outcome of the battle. Staff’s are the
best option if you grab a 20/20 one and put in some good components. In
Denravi you can craft a very useful sword with +5 energy; I crafted one for my
monk and threw in a fortitude pommel for some extra HP.
*Do not heal people the second they take damage! This is the mistake that the
Healer Hench Alesia makes, the henchman is good in healing for a few moments in
battle, and then she is useless. She exhausts her mana way too fast for her to
be useful. I usually wait until the person gets a little above half health to
start pouring on the heals. Use Heal Other for massive healing, Healing Breeze
to counter massive DoT, Orison of Healing for self-healing and some party
healing, and obtain Word of Healing as your elite skill. Healing Touch is your
ultimate self heal, use this to heal yourself especially. Word of Healing is
simply a skill that a healer must have, unless you are running some sort of
Essence Bond/Divine Boon combo (Tricky to pull off effectively). Also learn to
prioritize your healing targets, watch to see who is getting focused and who is
just getting scratches in comparison.
*Use Restore Life instead of Resurrect whenever possible. Resurrect brings back
the target with almost no HP and Mana, whereas a fairly strong Restore Life
will bring a person back with 45% hp and 70% or so mana(Based on level of
heals). Rebirth is useful late in the game, but as a Healer Monk you should
not bring this with you if you can avoid doing so, have a Tank or Ranger with
Monk secondary equip this.
Q: I seem to be missing 30 attribute points and I am level 20... Where do I get
them?
A: There is a quest in the Crystal Desert that will send you to meet a
Forgotten in Skyward Reach. The person who you receive the quest from
apparently varies, so check Augury Rock and the other Outposts if you do not
find it at Augury first. Upon talking to the Forgotten, the quest will
complete. Talk to him after completing the quest and he will offer another
quest. This one will send you to the Arid Sea. On a plateau in the middle of
the map, you will find the forgotten you need to talk to. Finish the quest and
you will receive the first 15 attribute points. Now you must complete a class
switch QUEST. Play till you reach Droknar’s Forge. Near the storage is a
woman who will tell you to seek out her sister Sanjyi. She will first tell you
to go to 3 places in the desert, do so. Complete a secondary switch while
here, and return to her. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO SWITCH YOUR SECONDARY CLASS!! Do
not make this mistake! The quests for a secondary class switch are found in
Seekers Passage, Destiny’s Gorge, and Heroes Audience, the 3 places that you
are required to visit. They range in difficulty, with the Ranger switch being
one of the harder ones and the Elementalist one being painfully easy. After
completing this quest, return to her. She will give a second quest to seek out
her sister. Head to the Copperhammer Mines. Now simply follow her and do as
she says. Upon doing this return to Droknar’s and claim your last 15 attribute
points! Please note that it is possible to do the one in Droknar’s Forge
before completing the first, I unexpectedly did that with my Ranger.
Q: I was reading something in another FAQ about switching secondary classes and
I wanted to know if this is possible and where I could do this.
A: It is very possible to switch your secondary. The option to do so
opens up after you ascend in the Crystal Desert. You can switch your
secondary in Hero's Audience, Destiny's Gorge, and Seeker's Passage.
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Guild Related Questions
--------------------------
Q: Is there a limit to how many people you can have in a guild?
A: The current number is 100 people, but most guilds don’t usually go over 40
people. There is nothing close knit in a guild made of 70 people, remember
that.
Q: Is there a certain mix of professions that guilds generally like to run in a
battle?
A: Because of the diversity of characters and the sheer possibilities for team
builds, there is no particular mix that people bring. Some team builds consist
of numerous Warriors that build up adrenaline skills and then spam these filled
up attacks on a single target. Other builds are tuned to be more defensive,
rather then charge and take the flag some guilds simply choose to spend some
time in their hall and wait for the enemy to come to them. The best way to
find a good team build for your guild is to experiment with what you have and
what each member knows.
Q: What is a Celestial Sigil?
A: A Celestial Sigil is used to purchase a guild hall. To obtain one you must
go to the Hall of Heroes and take control of it. There you may obtain the
Sigil. If you cannot do this, you can go to Lion’s Arch and look for someone
selling one. You can also buy from the Sigil Seller in the Tombs or go looking
at a guild hall, and you can find the trader there as well. You are looking at
spending a serious amount of money to buy one of these.
--------------------------
Miscellaneous Questions
--------------------------
Q: My system specs are XXXXXXXX and I have XXXXXXXX, will this run on my
computer?
A: I have no idea! I am not a computer expert at all, but I can run GW on max
settings (No anti-aliasing) with a GeForce 4 MX420 and 512mb SD RAM.
Q: Is there a ranking of guilds somewhere?
A: Yes, the official ladder standings can be found at
http://ladder.guildwars.com/ , the ladder is updated constantly and always
displays the current rankings of each and every guild who has participated in
Guild versus Guild combat.
Q: Do you plan on doing other guide’s in the future?
A: Maybe… Only time will tell. ;)
Q: Do you work for ArenaNet?
A: No, I am a player of the game Guild Wars and nothing more. I am also a
devout fan of ANET and everything it stands for, which led me to write this
guide and, time permitting, others as well.
Q: May I join your guild?
A: By all means you are welcome, all that I ask is that you are an active
player and know the meaning of the words Respect and Maturity. Contact me in
game or e-mail me if interested.
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XI. Contact Information
------------------------------------------------------
If you have a question about the guide or a correction, or would just like to
thank me you can reach me at Providence53-at-gmail.com Do NOT e-mail me about
spelling mistakes or anything of that nature either… If you want my IM names
then you must ask. You can also reach me in game under the name of Kaiser
Dune, Vulea Roivas, Hannah Evermonde, or Lucia Hylallu; I’m always up for a
mission or a tomb run if I’m not in the middle of something.
Yes I have a Monk, contrary to popular belief Monk’s do in fact exist.
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XII. Credits
------------------------------------------------------
ArenaNet- For creating such an incredible game and being so dedicated since the
start.
CjayC- For keeping Gamefaqs up and running.
My GF Allie- For being so understanding during the BWE's… haha...
My guild- The Shattered Hand
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XIII. Copyright Information
------------------------------------------------------
This FAQ is my property and no one else’s. So don’t go ripping it off. This
document may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal
or private use. It may not be placed on any web site without my permission.
The sites that I have given permission to to use it on their site may grab the
newest version at anytime I update the guide.
(C) 2005, Providence53 aka Sentience